The impact of training and support on stress among care staff in nursing and residential homes for the elderly

Rebekah Proctor, Hilary Stratton-Powell, Nicholas Tarrier, Alistair Burns

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    The present study assessed the impact of a training programme for care staff in nursing and residential homes for the elderly on symptoms of stress and work related pressure by means of a randomised controlled trial. Staff in 12 homes (six receiving training and six acting as controls) participated in a six month intervention devised for developing skills in individual care planning (Barrowclough and Fleming, 1986). Levels of reported psychological distress were shown to increase significantly among the control group sample at 6 months' follow-up with a worrying 57% of this group reaching the GHQ(28) caseness threshold. However, there was no significant increase in psychological distress amongst the care staff receiving the training intervention. In view of the increasing levels of dependency among residents and the corresponding high levels of reported stress among care workers, further research into the efficacy of training and support for this group is sorely needed.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)59-70
    Number of pages11
    JournalJournal of Mental Health
    Volume7
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1998

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'The impact of training and support on stress among care staff in nursing and residential homes for the elderly'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this